There are plenty of expensive restaurants on the Strip that offer breathtaking views. Even the Top of the World restaurant at the tip of the Stratosphere will impress the most jaded diner with its 800-feet-high, revolving-360-degrees-every-hour view of Las Vegas. But for those seeking a more inexpensive yet refined vantage from which to enjoy first-rate Italian fare, Liberty Watch strongly recommends La Collina in Henderson.
Carved into a dusty hillside on Horizon Ridge Parkway and Carnegie Street, La Collina immediately grabs your attention, emerging from its bland suburban surroundings like a flashback of that trip to Italy you meant to take but never did. Those of us who have been to Europe will note the restaurants' efforts to appear like an old seaside-town eatery. Instead of a waterfront view, however, La Collina offers a gorgeous sunset as the faraway lights of the Strip gradually conquer the desert night.
La Collina has only been open since December, but the staff handles every aspect of a meal like seasoned veterans. Everyone from the hostess to the busboy seems genuinely happy to see you, and the speed with which your requests are met - no matter how trivial - is unrivaled. No wonder this place does such brisk business on a Saturday night.
For antipasti, there are many options, but the items we've enjoyed so far are "peasant-grade," which is to say we love the simple bruschetta con pomodoro (grilled filone bread topped with chopped red onions, tomatoes, and mozzarella, $6.95). This is a long way from the more authentic recipes, in which the bread is burned or scorched before being dipped in olive oil and topped with tomatoes. But it's also not the glorified buttery garlic bread that passes for bruschetta in most Italian joints. Here, the filone is crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and appropriately laden. Perfect.
Or, if you prefer seafood, there's the vongole al vino bianco ($10.95), or saut�ed Manila clams with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and white wine. Lip-smacking good, they are.
For soups and salads, we adore the pasta e fagioli (cannelloni bean soup with pasta, $5.50) with the insalata mista (baby mixed greens, tomatoes, and cucumber with house dressing, $6.50). The fagioli isn't the salty red-bean and Spaghetti-Os version you find everywhere else. Rather, this is a hearty, gritty, stick-to-your-ribs soup that makes you want to clean your bowl with more bread. The mixed salad complements it just right.
For entr�es, we endorse the vitello alla Milanese ($18.95), two breaded veal cutlets with a side of arugola, shaved parmesan, roma tomato and truffle oil. Yes, it's veal, but this is still a light summer dish that won't leave you feeling stuffed or bloated afterward. In other words, you don't need to be on a diet to enjoy it.
The picatta di pollo ($16.95) - chicken breast with mushrooms, capers, lemon, and white wine sauce - is another standout that, because of its fresh ingredients and elegant simplicity, won't disappoint. Filling, sure, but neither greasy nor too buttery.
Also, the thought of a big dish of gnocchi ($14.95) on a hot July night doesn't immediately make sense, we know. But La Collina's homemade potato dumplings with sun-dried tomatoes and green peas in a light cream sauce will satisfy without any carbo-loading sensations. They are excellent.
As you can judge by the prices, La Collina is incredibly affordable for the kind of deep Tuscan-style Italian fare it offers. And watching the sun extinguish itself against the valley's western edge makes this place a real bargain.
La Collina is located at 645 Carnegie St. at Horizon Ridge Parkway in Henderson. For more information or to make reservations, call 702-252-7474. LW
